All For This Moment
by PuppyNoelle
Summary: ONESHOT Summer prior to 7th year Harry attempts to stop Hermione from making the mistake of asking Ron to be her boyfriend. HarryHermione & implied RonLuna. Rated T for Ron's cursing.


**All For This Moment**

**by** **Puppy Noelle**

Disclaimer: Why do we need disclaimers on this site? It's called for a reason… oh well.

Description: ONESHOT Summer prior to 7th year; Harry attempts to stop Hermione from making the mistake of asking Ron to be her boyfriend.

Genres: Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Harry/Hermione, Ron/Luna

Rating: PG-13, T— for Ron's colourful displays of language. Although I could probably go with a lower rating, I usually use this one anyways. Better safe than sorry.

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Harry Potter awoke in his best friend, Ron Weasley's, bedroom at nearly midnight. He groggily groped around the darkness in search of his glasses, and, once he'd placed the old and worn spectacles onto his nose, his eyes darted around the oddly silent room. His best friend was nowhere to be found. Before his panic completely overcame him, however, he felt a rush of cool summer air floating in through the newly opened window.

Harry stumbled over to the window pane and peered out, listening intently. There was a tall, easily accessible, old tree a few feet from the where Harry stood, and he heard whispering voices amidst the branches below. He recognised one as Ron's but the other, although clearly female, he could not decipher. However, once the soft breeze brushed some of the branches out of the way, Harry saw wisps of wavy blonde hair twirling around like a flag on a windy day. It was Luna.

Harry had noticed, of course, that his best friend had begun spending much more time with the "loony" girl than he had previously, but he was now intrigued by their new found friendship. Or was it something more? He couldn't be sure, seeing as it had seemed obvious before that Ron was going to become romantically involved with their other best friend, Hermione,; especially since she'd recently shown, for the first time, that she may have feelings for him. But as the branches parted even further, and Harry watched his best friend pull Luna's petite body safely into his arms, the 'boy who lived' realized that things that slap us in the face are not always as they seem.

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As he walked down the hall the next morning, Harry noticed his female best friend as she frantically fluffed out her hair in front of a mirror on the wall. "Hermione, what are you doing?"

She jumped. "Oh... Goodness… Harry… you scared me."

"Sorry."

"No," she said nervously, "Don't worry about it."

"So, what are you doing?"

She smiled apprehensively. "I'm fixing my hair."

"What for?"

She pursed her lips, apparently trying to decide whether or not to tell him. "Alright," she said finally, "I suppose it's alright to tell you: I'm going to ask Ron out today. How does my hair look?"

"WHAT? Wait a minute! To be perfectly honest Hermione, I don't think you should."

She suddenly rounded on him. "And why not?"

"I just don't think he'll say yes." He noticed the annoyed, quizzical look she gave him, and tried to dig up a reasonable excuse without giving away anything, "I mean, with everything that's happened I can understand why no one would want to get involved with anyone, seeing as we may run into Death Eaters any time…"

She smiled at him, though there was something unconsciously hidden in her eyes that told him that the smile was false. "Harry, don't worry about it. Everything will be fine, and besides, Ron and I will be happy. Anyways, breakfast is ready: you should really go down and eat something."

He tried to protest more, but before he could speak, the ends of her bushy brunette locks had disappeared around the corner.

He had no idea where it had stemmed from, but suddenly he had grown jealous of his best friend. It was just as he had felt in their fifth year when Ron had become a prefect and he hadn't. Harry had never imagined that a day would come when he would become jealous of his best friend's love life, yet now that Ron had two girls vying for his affections, it was difficult not to feel the envy brewing inside him. Harry had, of course, noticed Luna's obvious interest in Ron, but Hermione was an entirely different story.

Hermione had never, until their sixth year, shown any hints of a romantic interest in Ron. If anything the two had always fought and argued until neither of them could find anymore horrible things to say to one another. Hardly a good basis for a lasting relationship, in Harry's opinion. True though that has own parent's had argued when they were at Hogwarts, but her seriously doubted that they had treated one another as horribly as his two best friends sometimes did.

He just wished that Ron and Hermione would never start dating. He was scared that if they were to start dating, that eventually they would argue so much that they would have a horrible break-up, which completely destroy their friendship as well. He was sick of being stuck in the middle every time they fought; he knew that he would absolutely dread being stuck in the middle of the end of a romantic relationship between the two.

He supposed he was lucky though: he knew Ron wouldn't give Hermione and answer of 'yes'; the red-head's new relationship (he wanted to say romance, but didn't quite have enough proof of that yet) with the slightly mad Luna. No, Harry didn't need to worry about Ron: it was Hermione that he would have to comfort this time. He dreaded the thought of seeing a bawling Hermione running down the halls of the Burrow alone and miserable. Harry could only hope that his female best friend's heart would not be too broken.

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Harry continued to discreetly protest to Hermione: despite being ignored, shushed, and glared at an innumerable amount of times. And the one moment that he had stopped and briefly lost track of her, was the exact moment when she had pulled Ron out to the back porch, ready to ask the inevitable.

"Hermione!" he hissed at her just before she had disappeared through the door.

He couldn't reach it in time: the door had closed too quickly. Through the window, he watched Hermione lead Ron around a corner to the back of the house. He cursed his luck, and then silently opened the back door. He crept up to the corner as quietly as he could: he didn't dare go any closer.

"Ron," he heard Hermione say, "I've been thinking about this for a while, and I was wondering if you would like to be my boyfriend."

"What? Hermione, what the hell are you talking about?"

She was now enraged. "You heard me! You know _exactly_ what I said Ron! So what's your answer?"

"No. No, I can't."

"What? No? Why? How on earth can you say _no_! After everything you've put me through!"

"Everything _I've_ put _you_ through! What about all the shit you put _me_ through! I can't believe you sometimes Hermione! That Skeeter woman's been right all along for calling you "Little Miss Perfect". 'Cause that's _exactly_ what you are! You're Hermione Granger, the smartest girl in school, who's always right about _everything_! You're so predictable Hermione! I don't know why I even bother since all we _ever_ do is end up fighting anyways… I'm bloody sick and tired of this… and of being treated like I'm a complete idiot."

"I don't treat you like you're an idiot!" she yelled indignantly.

"No, you're right: you treat me like I'm the stupidest git ever to walk this earth. I'm tired of the abuse Hermione! Thank Merlin I've _actually_ got someone who treats me fairly!"

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"I think you'd know her. Her name's Luna Lovegood." He crossed his arms over his chest as if defying one of his elder siblings.

"WHAT? You can't seriously be interested in _her_: she's absolutely insane!"

"So what? She treats me like a human being! _And_ she laughs at my jokes, listens to what I have to say (ridiculous or not), tries to help me with my problems, as well as taking care of me and making sure I'm alright. So what if she's a little crazy? At least she doesn't try to be something she's not!"

These last few words struck Hermione to the core. They struck so hard that she could think of no comeback, no argument, no words to say at all. All she managed was a hiccup as the tears streamed down her pale cheeks.

Ron shot her a brief glance of mixed pity and contempt as he turned back the way they had come. He marched right past Harry, only catching his best friend's eyes for an instant before continuing forward. Harry swallowed nervously and came out of his hiding place to find Hermione sobbing on her knees, with her face buried in her hands. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what urged him to do it, but suddenly he had scooped his crying angel into his arms.

She froze.

"It's alright, Hermione. It's just me."

"Harry… Oh Harry…" she sobbed into his shoulder. "I can't believe it… How did this happen? How could Ron fall for _Luna_? Of all the people he could have chosen, he picks the craziest of the lot? But why doesn't he want _me_? I don't understand… What's wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with either of you."

"But I thought for sure he fancied me."

"Sometimes we're wrong even when everyone around us thinks we're right."

She sighed into the crook of his neck. "I suppose…"

Bittersweet silence enveloped them for several minutes until at last, Hermione spoke again, this time calmly, "I wonder if they're happy: Ron and Luna. If Ron's happy with her, then I suppose it's alright. I'll be fine, right?"

"Yeah. You'll be alright. And Ron and Luna will be happy."

"Yes. You're right."

"And besides, while Ron is off snogging Luna, you'll always be able to force me to work on my homework or go to the library with you."

She couldn't help but melt into a huge grin and giggle at both his sincerity and humour. "Thank you Harry."

"You're welcome, Hermione." He responded, pulling her closer, and forgetting everything: all for this moment.

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-Fin-

So how was that for my first H/Hr fic? Review if you please.

-Hugs

-Ash


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